Despite
the apparent recession the country is currently in, state governments have
insisted on collecting their monthly security votes, investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH have
revealed.
This
is coming on the heels of calls for the cancellation of the funds.
Checks
by our correspondents on Saturday showed that the state governors were not
favourably disposed to the idea of jettisoning their security votes so as to
cut down their expenditure and use the funds for other pressing needs.
Most
of the state governments are owing workers’ salaries.
Security
votes are the special funds which run into billions of naira which are
disbursed to state governors every month to be spent at their (governors’)
discretion.
Last
week, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, raised the alarm that the
country was “technically” in recession.
Adeosun
had told the Senate that the current indices in the country indicated that
there was an economic downturn.
The
development made the Nigeria Labour Congress and economists to demand a prune
down in government spending and the abolition of security votes for the
President and governors in the country.
The
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, had told the News
Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja that security votes had
become an avenue for siphoning public funds.
He
had said, “The issue of security vote is another form of corruption; in fact,
there was a particular state which took N1bn in one month as security vote.
“It
is an avenue for corruption. In good governance, all monies spent by government
are budgeted and transparently spent.”
But
the various state governments, who spoke with our correspondents on Saturday,
asked Nigerians to perish the thought of their governors doing away with
security votes.
The
Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Ehiedu Okowa, said the state was not
contemplating cancelling security vote, especially with the current security
challenges it was facing.
Speaking
through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Charles Aniagwu, in a telephone
interview, Okowa noted that the primary purpose of the government was to
protect lives and property of its citizens.
Also,
the Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Patrick Ukah, argued that
the fact that the current economic realities were not favourable did not mean
that the society should be left in a state of chaos.
However,
Aniagwu said following the current economic hardship in the country, Okowa had
drastically reduced his security vote in order to meet up with the business of
governance in the state.
He
said, “Statutorily, 10 per cent of the allocation is voted for security. Such
funds enable the state to act proactively during crisis and to assist security
agencies within the state.”
The
commissioner maintained that security votes for governors should not be
subjected to debate because of its importance.
He
said, “The fact that the economy, at the moment, is in a bad shape, doesn’t
mean we should live in a state of chaos.
“Nobody
can advocate for the cancellation of security vote, especially with the present
security challenges in the state.”
The
Ondo State Government, also, on Saturday, declared that it was impossible for
the state to cancel security votes for the governor because there would be
instability and insecurity if such a decision was taken.
The
state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said it was impossible
for any governor to receive the security votes and not spend it on the security
of lives and property of the people of the state.
Akinmade,
who did not disclose the amount which the state collected for security votes’
said, “anybody that calls for the cancellation of security votes is either
ignorant or doesn’t know the workings of the government.”
He
added, “The security vote is not meant for the executive to spend anyhow, it is
the money the government uses to finance the security needs of the state.
“The
money is very important because something may happen in any part of the state
which can affect security of lives. The government has to wade in quickly, it
is the money they use to for it.
“They
also use the money to buy security equipment for the security agencies in the
state.
“It
is not only the governors that collect security votes, the President, the
Vice-President, the Senate President, even chairmen of the local government
councils, have security votes. They need this money to tackle security issues
in their domains.”
The
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State, Mr. Christian
Ita, on Saturday said the state would not cancel security vote.
Ita
said beside the security challenges which the state was currently tackling, it
would be out of place to cancel the vote because it would be difficult to
predict the crime situation.
“In
situations where you have security responses, you must continue to spend money.
So, we are not considering scrapping security votes,” he said.
A
similar response was obtained in Plateau State. The Special Adviser on
Media to Governor Simon Lalong, Mr. Mark Longyen, said that the government had
no intention of scrapping security votes.
He
said that the state ran the risk of being overrun by the enemies if it did so.
He
said, “Security vote is a constitutionally stipulated provision for the smooth
running of any government.
“So,
no state, Plateau inclusive, should even contemplate its abrogation at this
time of increasing security challenges. Otherwise, we run the risk of being
overrun by the enemies of the state one day.”
Bauchi
State too is not contemplating jettisoning its security vote.
A
chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the state, who spoke on condition
of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, said, the
Mohammed Abubakar-led APC government would not cancel security votes.
He
said “I can confidently tell you that the Bauchi State Government will never
scrap security votes and no government in Nigeria will.
“They
cannot scrap it because every state has one form of security issue or the other
to contend with. Thus, no state can survive without its votes for security.”
In
Lagos State, it was gathered that the stoppage of security vote for Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode had not been discussed at the state executive council meeting.
A
commissioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said since the state had
been able to survive the challenging times in the country, it was not felt that
the vote should be scrapped.
He
said, “Why should we stop the security vote? There is no need for that. Our
governor has been managing the state’s resources well.”
But
the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, said,
“There is no such thing as ‘security vote’ in Lagos State.”
He
added, “We do not have such vote head in the budget. Lagos State adheres
strictly to the tenets of good governance and international best practices.
“Furthermore,
the Lagos State Security Trust Fund is a private-sector driven initiative with
its own board, which ensures that the money donated by Corporate Lagos or
individuals is judiciously used to safeguard lives and property in the state.”
Source: The Punch
Tags
Politics